Diamond in the Ruf: Unleashing Hell in One of the Greatest Supercars in the World

At first glance, this might look like a mildly tuned Porsche 911. It even kind of feels like one. But it's not even in the same ballpark. This is the Ruf RT12 R, one of the very best supercars on the road, and a machine that reduces me to a gibbering wreck after the first full slug of gas.

Because on the most innocuous-looking back road, this monster hits 125 mph in just a shade over 9.5 seconds, rivaling the likes of the Ferrari Enzo and leaving the 458 Italia in its wake. See, Ruf is not a tuner. It's a manufacturer that happens to use the Porsche's basic shell and not much else. The Ruf RT12 R essentially is a lion in wolf's clothing.
Only the experts who remember the record-breaking Yellowbird back in the 1980s will know this is anything other than a 911 -- them, and kids who have played too much "Gran Turismo." Only the knowledgeable few will spot the subtle badging, the air intakes atop the rear haunches, the re-profiled front with a splitter, center lock wheels, lightweight doors, and optional carbon roof. Only they'll know the rear wing isn't a cheap aftermarket add-on. The masses won't look twice, which might offend some people who have just spent the thick end of $400,000 on a car. But then Ruf never did build cars for the nightclub valet: It's all about the drive.

The 911 Turbo was hardly a shabby car to begin with, but this is a total bare-shell rebuild to the exacting standards of a company that has achieved mythical status in the sports car world. It also comes with a 3.8-liter twin turbo that churns out 730 hp and 693 lb-ft of torque. As it fires up behind my head it settles into a deep, even scary rattle, like the sound of gravel in a dryer. That's the single mass flywheel. Only that and the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires rule this out as a daily driver. While the 650-hp RT12 S could easily handle the commute to the office, and a copy has even racked up 124,000 miles in one keen customer's hands, this Ruf is effectively a track car and weekend warrior.

This is kind of like the Pagani Zonda R (well, streetable) in that no regulatory commission will approve this thing, so the only thing you can do with this is club racing. Kind of pointless really, even on the Autobahn it'd be hard to max this out and on the track there won't be any super long straights to really max out the power. I mean, it's kind of cool, but the lap times of this probably wouldn't be THAT different from a much cheaper Porsche 911 GT2 RS. If you cared about the Ruf name, I'm pretty sure there's cheaper Rufs out there...

@keithNo idea where you're getting 6.6 seconds. That's just absurd. But I would bet it finishes in the mid 10's, given a 911 Turbo S can do it in 10.8. More relevant than that is high speed acceleration, as in 100mph+ to 200mph or so. This thing is a beast.

@OverplowThat Turbo model had a dct. This has a traditional 6-speed. There's your half-second difference. If you the whole article, which it seems you didn't, you would have seen that the author thinks 3.3 is conservative and probably more like 3.0-3.1. Don't think for one second that all 730 hp gets to the ground from a standstill, even with AWD. As I've already stated, the 1/4 mile is more relevant. Can the standard Turbo get to 125 in 9.5 sec??

@SuperCJ427which Porsche model did they tune to create the CTR3?Its a complete own development. Which Porsche part did they use to build the RGT-8 engine, nothing it is a complete RUF design and btw lighter than the new McLaren 12C engine.They have their own design their own engines and own developt cars.most amazing about the RT12-R is not the 0-60 or 0-125mph time thanks to fancy dual clutch transmissions and shorter gearing many cars like 458 GTR or Turbo S could keep up with the RT12-R but after 125mph this car climbs into a completely different class 300km/h after 22.2s to compare ZR1 32.6s, 458 32.4s, Enzo 26.1s, GT2 RS 26.7s, Aventador LP700-4 24.5sLooking at europen topspeed contests it is always amazing how reliable and easy RUF are. At Nardo they simple go to the track deliver the perfromance again and again and they are always one of the fastest if not the fastest and easy reach the 360km/h 223mph mark with the base RT12 no matter if hot day or night.

@gmoney82 +1This car is way too fast to be judged by its 0-60 time. You gotta look at the 1/4 mile time. 125 mph in 9.5 sec is crazy fast. So, the 1/4 mile is probably somewhere in the low 10 sec range at most.

I read a similar article that had it reaching 60 in 3.1 sec. I'm highly shocked I haven't seen any GT-R fans yet. All I can say is don't be fooled by the 0-60. As the rest of the article ran on,,,, it reached 135 mph in under 10 sec. That's sick as hell and I'll probably be sick as hell riding in it.. Very impressive but like some say, it's still a porsche and performs like one also..... and that's a good thing!

yes RUF is a manufacturer but where as far as Porsche models are concerned, they simply tune them unlike as they claim they simply get Porsche chassis and build their parts but everything inside and out styling looks porsche. They don't have their own design.

Agree about the wing. Incredible machine, but while the wing is functional, part of me would be embarrassed to drive it with that thing on. All wings in that style look like they came from Wal-mart and are attached with two sided tape.

Wow, amazing car. Even though it slows the car down, I'm glad they fitted a manual in it instead of the gay paddles. I'd love to see a full battery of MT's tests on this car. By the way MT, the article says its 3600 lbs, but the spec sheet says 3295 lbs. Which is it?

I wonder if they'll ever make a wing that doesn't look so silly. I know the point of them, I would just like to see them less "race-like" and more production appropiate. But that may be the appeal for some....whatever